Staying at Home

Dear Kathy,

I admire your thoughts on this extremely important topic. Not only do you effectively define the reality that seniors today desire nothing more than to reside in the comfort of their own home, you also demonstrate that in the midst of this fast-paced, contemporary American life, we have caregivers to aid and assist the family members of aging adults. While family members of these older adults seek to care for their loved ones in the same way they were cared for as they grew, sometimes giving them the amount of care they need may become a struggle. Thus we have paid caregivers, individuals who withhold a true calling for this line of work. They provide quality care that truly eases the minds of seniors and their families.

In West Chester, PA we take care of elders in this way. A story of one particular client comes to mind. Priscilla experienced a fall within the last year and as a result has become dependent on assistance with mobility as well as most other activities of daily living. Because her only son, Chuck, was unable to devote the time needed to stay with her in her home, she had to be put into a nursing home. Priscilla was very distraught, and it hurt her son to see the pain. Impressed upon learning about our services, Chuck asked me to go to her nursing home and see how she would feel. Priscilla was almost jumping out of her skin at the thought of going home! Today, she is back in her home growing a friendship with the caregiver we have provided her, Mireya. Chuck couldn't be happier.

In this case, this example validates the point that not only does staying in the home satisfy the senior, knowing that his/her loved one is receiving high quality care comfortably at home where he/she belongs is a genuinely exceptional feeling.

Elderly in DC

Dear Kathy,

Great blog! You've really got the essence of it.

We take care of elderly people here in the nation's capitol. We have one gentleman who just celebrated his 102nd birthday -- he worked with President Kennedy. We have another wonderful lady who broke the glass ceiling at the AFL-CIO. And, a decorated General who's biography fills pages and pages. And the list goes on and on. We are so lucky here to have such wonderful, interesting people. And, they all still enjoy living in their own homes.

It's a privilege to be able to serve the elderly. We have a lot of anecdotal evidence that the compassion and care our caregivers provide truly improves their quality of life.

Ken Hansen